The aim of this study is to determine if a metaplastic lesion of Bowman's parietal epithelium in the kidney can be induced by chronic alcohol consumption. This metaplastic lesion is especially prominent in human alcoholic liver disease and hypertension. The unique position of the metaplastic, proximal tubule-like tissue is such that the lesion may participate in the renal dysfunction of sodium retention which characterizes alcohol liver disease and hypertension. The long-term objectives are related to the pathogenesis of metaplasia of Bowman's parietal layer and the mechanism that causes the lesion in the first place. Intervention to prevent the capsular metaplasia then becomes a possibility, thus leading to the prevention of renal dysfunction seen in alcoholic liver disease and hypertension. Young adult male rats of four different strains - spontaneously hypertensive, Wistar Kyoto, Sprague-Dawley and Long-Evans - will be fed an alcohol (ethanol) diet to induce alcoholic liver disease, similar to that which occurs in humans. A total of 120 rats will be used, 30 animals of each of the four strains. These will be three 6-week feeding intervals. The first 6-weeks is the period of induction of the alcoholic liver disease. During the second 6-week interval they will receive a non-alcohol diet, to represent a withdrawal period. In the third 6-week feeding interval the rats will again be placed on the alcohol diet. Control animals will be fed the non-alcoholic diet throughout the three 6-week feeding periods. Systolic blood pressure will be recorded at the beginning of the study and at the end of each 6-week feeding interval. At the end of the first, second and third feeding intervals kidneys and livers of 5 rats from each rat strain will be sampled for histopathological and histochemical examination. Differential counts of renal corpuscles will be made to determine the percentages of corpuscles with metaplasia of the parietal layer of Bowman's capsule. Liver samples will be used to determine the degree of cirrhosis and fatty changes taking place during the development of the kidney metaplastic lesion. Mean percentages of metaplasia of Bowman's parietal epithelium and blood pressures will be analyzed to determine the effects of chronic alcohol consumption within and between rat strains.